Are you friendless in The Secret World? Has your guild game-hopped to the next new shiny, leaving you to wander the paths of Transylvania cold and alone? Take heart!

Next week's Digging Deeper update will not only feature a bunch of new content but also a new group finder tool. It's cross-dimensional too, so you're free to pick from the entire online playerbase when forming a party. The patch drops on Tuesday, September 11th.

Ready for the skinny on Issue #2 of The Secret World? Good because we have it in the form of a new video showcasing the new features from tomorrow's content patch.

You've heard about the new rocket launcher weapon, of course, but did you know that it also comes with seven auxiliary abilities that necessitate a brand-new auxiliary ability wheel? The rocket launcher is also the tip of the iceberg in terms of new weapons going forward.

Tomorrow's Digging Deeper update also brings us new avatar customization options. Travel to Ockham's Razor in London or The Modern Prometheus in New York City to check out all the new makeup, facial hair, and hairstyle options (Funcom is doubling the total number of available hairstyles with this patch).

New missions are on tap too, including a continuation of the Kingsmouth Code investigation series. Get a good look at all this in more in the clip after the break.

[Update: Apparently the Digging Deeper update is now coming tomorrow instead of today. We've changed the wording of this post to reflect that.]Continue Reading

After two delays already, The Secret World players may have already suspected what Funcom recently announced -- the second monthly update for the game has been postponed yet again. Hopefully, the third time's the charm.

This third delay stems from the same exploit initially found on Tuesday that forced the second one, which pushed Digging Deeper back by one day. Apparently, more time is needed to remove the issue and thoroughly test the client. Issue #2 -- with its rocket launcher, new make-up and hairstyles, and additional missions -- will be deployed to live servers next week.

"We tried leaving our options open during development so that we could launch with a different model should we have decided during development that's what we wanted, but eventually we did settle on the subscription model and that's what informed much of the game's design," Schreiner said. "That said we definitely have the tools to turn The Secret World into a free-to-play game -- or even hybrid -- should we decide to do that somewhere down the line."

Schreiner admitted that it's become difficult for subscription titles to thrive in a F2P-dominated field. He added that The Secret World is now a "profitable operation" following the studio's restructuring: "Despite the obvious challenges, I definitely think we're heading into a promising future for Funcom."

After a number of delays, first from company restructuring and then from a serious potential exploit, The Secret World's second update is finally live and ready for players to experience. Digging Deeper introduces TSW's first new weapon -- a rocket launcher -- as well as new missions and new nightmare modes for two dungeons, The Facility and Hell Eternal dungeons. Characters interested in a new look will also be able to change their 'do at Ockham's Razor in London and get a facelift from Dr. Anton Aldini in Brooklyn.

Another change includes new loot bags that will drop off of all region bosses. These include various goodies like blueprints to summon the boss, epic items, and unique raid puzzle pieces. More information about this update can be found in the official patch notes.

They should have went F2P right off the bat...especially releasing so close to GW2.

__________________Beliefs - Christian. Anti-Republican. Anti-Gun. Complete separation of church and state. Freedom of speech. Freedom to practice any religion in public. Less focus on foreign lands and more focus on our own problems.

hmmm if you saw the page over where they were contemplating it. There's this stigma among those that haven't been keeping up with current events on what the public has been liking with MMo's going F2P.

It's seen as failer still to those that haven't been keeping up on news or really been paying attention at all to what people are saying. May be cause at first what that was started it was the alternative to just shutting down immediately. They'd do it and those MMo's would last a bit and then fade away and die. And even though since in recent yr's it's turned and things are different now, all due to the recession. Those people that choose not to keep up news wise still think it's still the same way model wise. It's kinda sad. but this will have to reach those people eventually, that F2P has been a successful venture these days .

It is a tale told by an Illuminati member, full of sound and fury, signifying... something?

The stage was set. An air of conspiracy permeated the theater as trappings of The Secret World hung from the balustrade and peeked from the corners to taunt the audience. Discerning eyes could spot a triangle here, a cross there. A soft buzzing could be heard, an undercurrent of sound. But something was missing. The show couldn't go on without... aha! The star!

The final task before starting this Choose My Adventure production was the selection of just who will bask in the spotlight. As director, you took on this task. Would it be a martial artist from the Orient or a proper English knight? Would the stage ring out with the sound of shots or metal upon metal? After much deliberation, you finally found the one. With her hair aflame, a sword in her hand, and a rifle within reach, the young Illuminata was perfect for the lead role.

Now, it's opening night. A hush falls. The curtain rises. All eyes turn to the stage as you start to wonder, "What on earth did I get myself into?!" Continue Reading

New Game Director Joel Bylos dropped several juicy tidbits about the future of The Secret World on the Flash Point podcast. One of the biggest of these is that Funcom is growing once more following recent layoffs. "We have already brought back three people," he said, "It gives us hope and it's great to see those faces back at the office."

He said that a second auxiliary weapon -- which players assume to be the chainsaw -- is coming with next month's Issue 4, and the Halloween event scheduled in a couple weeks will have players digging through Irish lore books. If you like the game's investigation missions, you'll be pleased to hear that The Secret World will be introducing group versions of these types of quests.

But will the team be able to keep up with the monthly updates? Bylos is firmly confident that it can be done, as the structure for issue development is in place.

Bylos admits that it's "absolutely vital" for the studio to advertise the game better and communicate clearly what the game is to potential players. He also said that the team is working on helping players overcome the game's higher difficulty, particularly with starter decks that are coming soon and easier story boss fights.

Funcom's still riding the roller-coaster that is The Secret World, but as of today the Norwegian development firm has no plans to do away with the game's subscription fee. "No it's not going free-to-play any time soon," Funcom communications director Erling Ellingsen told Eurogamer. "There's currently no plans for making it free-to-play."

The game is in fact profitable as a subscription title, Ellingsen says, and creative director Ragnar Tornquist says that Funcom has content plans laid out through May of 2013. Tornquist and game director Joel Bylos spend a good bit of the interview talking about the challenges TSW faced last summer, from mediocre reviews to the need to launch and enable continued development to the stiff MMO competition.

"MMOs are hugely expensive, and of course Guild Wars 2 has sold a lot, and of course it's a big success. That game cost a lot of money and they're going to have to sell a lot of copies, especially without a subscription model. It is a dangerous path," Tornquist said. "It might be the right path for MMOs; as a consumer, as a player, I appreciate it. As a developer I'm with Joel in thinking that it is unfortunate for a lot of smaller companies or medium-sized companies."

[Update: TSW may not be going F2P soon, but it's certainly getting cheaper. Tipster Brant points out that the game is currently 50% off on Steam.]

Penny Arcade has published a lengthy interview with former Funcom designer Martin Bruusgaard. Bruusgaard was a casualty of The Secret World's post-launch layoffs despite being credited as the game's lead designer.

He speaks to the challenges inherent in TSW's release window as well as his belief that Funcom's desire to make a unique game kept it from being an instant commercial success. "It's a shame to say, but I think [there are] very, very few cases where you can sit down and make the game that you really want to do, and it turns out to be a success," Bruusgaard says. "Unfortunately I think that in order to be a success in today's market, you need to make the game a bit more commercial."

The interview also touches on Funcom's position at the forefront of gaming technology. Despite its recent troubles, the company is "really, really pushing the limits and pushing the boundaries on how to make software," Bruusgaard says.

Most of you Secret World fans know that the game has featured a changing of the guard in its development ranks. While Ragnar Tornquist remains as Creative Director, former Lead Content Designer Joel Bylos is now the Game Director, and as such he's penned his first state-of-the-game letter which just went live on TSW website.

After a lengthy introduction, Bylos gets down to the business of update schedules. First up is Issue #4 and the long-awaited New York City raid. More importantly, the update will introduce reticle combat. Bylos says it's something the game has needed for a long time, but he's also conscious of the fact that some players may prefer to do without. "I feel it makes combat a lot more direct and exciting. We are not forcing it upon anyone, though. You will be able to freely switch between traditional targeting and the reticle depending on what you feel is best for you," he explains.

Bylos also hints at "an entirely new animation backend for the Dreamworld engine," which should allow the firm to address common complaints regarding TSW's avatar movement. There's more, too, including a bit on puzzle raids, but you'll need to head to the official website to read it all.

Autumn is finally upon us (unless you live in Florida like I do), and every MMO player knows what that means: Halloween events! But how do you celebrate Halloween in a game where every day is nothing but ghosts and ghouls? You add more ghosts and ghouls, obviously. At least that's The Secret World's strategy. Funcom's horror-centric MMO is going all-out for its Halloween bash by introducing a new storyline and villain. With some help from Kingsmouth's local medium, Madame Rogét, players will unravel the mystery of the enigmatic Cat God.

But of course, what would Halloween be without trick-or-treating? During TSW's Halloween event, players who play through the new missions will be rewarded with goody bags that contain unique items such as "edible treats which give cool buffs, potions with unique and ominous effects and wondrous objects which can transform [players] into monstrous creatures." And for those of you who like turning innocent holidays about dead people into fervent competition, the event will also play host to a game-wide competition. The secret society with the most active members will win unique prizes. All players on the winning faction will receive the Jade Mouser cat non-combat pet, and the secret society will earn the "eternal gratitude of all catkind," which will add a new, permanent feature to that society's headquarters. To see more of what awaits you, check out the trailer after the cut, then go get in the game because the event is live today!Continue Reading

In real life, the closest thing you'll find to an eldritch horror in New York City is a half-eaten gyro that's been left in the subway for a week. But in The Secret World, the next major update is bringing some much bigger horrors into the heart of NYC. A new video from the development team explains how players will take on the game's first raid when it goes live with the fourth patch, Big Trouble in the Big Apple.

That's not all the update contains, however -- players will also be able to start up the game's second auxiliary weapon (the chainsaw) and indulge in creativity within London's Albion Theater. There's also a PvP overhaul incoming with new rewards, new vendors, and new battle modes. And even that just scratches the surface. For the full rundown of the patch's features, take a look at the lengthy preview video embedded just past the break. Continue Reading

The games media and cash-strapped gamers may delight in declaring paid-for entertainment dead, but the reality is a little different according to Funcom producer Craig Morrison.

Gamasutra recently interviewed Morrison regarding free-to-play and the expectations it generates, and while he acknowledged the model's recent success in the West, he noted that most western titles aren't designed to be experienced for free. "They're using a hybrid model, where the free-to-play is a trial and then what they really want is the users to move on to whatever they've called what used to be a subscription," Morrison explained.

Even though Funcom pioneered free-to-play in the West with Anarchy Online in 2005, Morrison expresses concern about what the model is doing to games like The Secret World. "Eventually it only stands to reason that people's thought process is 'oh, well, I'll wait till it's free-to-play,' and that's not something we want as game developers. You don't want players to be going, 'I really want to play that game... but I'm going to wait.'"

Ultimately, Morrison concludes that F2P is just another tool in the toolbox as opposed to the one true way. "I think we see subscription and free-to-play as tools. And tools can be used well, they can be used badly... it depends on the game. We don't categorically go, 'subscriptions are dead; there will never be subscriptions anymore,' or, 'free-to-play is the only way to monetize your games.' I think it depends on the game and it depends on your project," he said.

Anyone trying to log into The Secret World at 7:00 a.m EST tomorrow, November 15th, will find the game offline. At this time, Issue #4 Big Trouble in the Big Apple will be added to the game. After the server downtime (which is expected to be three hours), folks will be able to log in and experience TSW'sfirst ever raid taking place on the streets of NYC as well as stage plays for other players in London's Albion Theatre. Other additions to this fourth monthly update include changes in PvP and a new chainsaw weapon.

[Update: Devs posted an update noting they forgot to mention one little thing: "So, that announcement is also supposed to say clearly in big letters: BUT THE NEW YORK RAID WILL REMAIN LOCKED UNTIL FINAL TESTING IS COMPLETE."]

The raid takes place in the heart of New York City, where a tentacled Lovecraftian creature is wreaking havoc on the city that never sleeps. The raid had initially been delayed because of bugs and a need for further testing but is now available. Massively posted a preview of the raid and the rest of the patch last week.

What's The Secret World game director Joel Bylos doing for Thanksgiving? We have no idea, but Funcom has released his latest letter to the community this morning.

Much of Bylos' text recaps the recently released Issue #4, but he also teases the upcoming Issue #5 which will feature a "single, larger story arc" instead of the customary missions spread across the game's various locales. There's also a new auxiliary weapon in the works, and Funcom is caving to popular demand by making investigation missions repeatable (for reduced rewards, of course). There's more, but you'll need to head to the official TSW website to check it out.

Players and visitors alike are invited to sign up for the upcoming game. At the very least, you'll need to surrender your email address, although Funcom would like your Twitter handle and cell phone number as well. While you're on the website, check out the creepy whispering going on. Could this be the first clue?

While we don't have specifics about what the ARG will entail, we do know that there are several in-game rewards for participants. These rewards include a monk outfit, XP potions, a survival outfit, and an invitation to a special celebration event with the devs.

Joel Bylos' first End of Days video log hinted at it (if you call busting into a conference room hinting!), and now it is official: The Secret World is permanently removing subscriptions from the equation. Some of you are undoubtedly exclaiming, "I knew it!" but all of you may be wondering what that means for you. Here's the scoop.

Funcom's new payment model for TSW is buy-to-play with three membership tiers: free, member, and grand master. After purchasing the game itself, folks can play indefinitely without any additional fees, or they can opt to purchase monthly memberships that provide special bonuses. Players who already have or purchase the grandmaster package maintain their lifetime membership and receive additional bonuses.

Gamers will be glad to know that the conversion will not introduce any restrictions to the game's current content; free players will have full access to every aspect of issues #1 - 4, including weapons, dungeons, and missions. But what of future content? TSW will continue to receive regular patches of free content, just not at the volume of previous issues. More content will be also available periodically through downloadable content packs (DLCs) in the in-game store. Issue #5 DLC, coming in January, will be free to all accounts registered as of the end of December.

Players opting to maintain a membership will get an XP bonus item, 1,200 bonus points monthly, a special monthly gift, and a 10% discount in the in-game store. Grand masters will receive all that plus another 10% off store purchases. Both members and grand masters can use their free monthly bonus points to purchase DLC.

Folks who purchased the initiate pack previously will be reimbursed 1800 bonus points, and all remaining subscription time will be converted to membership time. For more information, you can check out the official FAQ. And catch the new trailer after the break!

When Funcom announced that The Secret World was abolishing subscriptions and converting to a "pay once, play forever" model, the studio also noted that Issue #5 would be included free for everyone who had the game by the end of December. So now that the free-to-play question is answered, inquiring minds want to know what the next monthly update includes!

Well, folks, we'll have to wait a bit longer on the full answer to that, but we do have a hint of the upcoming story; the cover art lets us know it deals with The Vanishing of Tyler Freeborn. We also have a special comic to start the story off after the break.

Of course, the world is supposed to be ending, so what does that mean for TSW? Senior designer Tanya Short has jumped on the end-of-days bandwagon. In the latest dev blog, she details the special events that will be going on as the countdown to the end continues, including special dynamic events and limited-time currency to spend on potions, unique weapon skins, and even a pet. As expected in any horror apocalypse, zombie attacks escalate everywhere and three giant nigh-invulnerable Harbingers will be roaming the lands. Will players find the single weakness of each that will bring down the behemoths before the world crashes? There is also a contest for the top player throughout the apocalypse with a title and pet reward, so hop on in and play a part in the end! Continue Reading

With the end of the world hitting the planet on Friday, The Secret World's fifth monthly update could obviously only be enjoyed if it hit servers before then, right? So good news -- Issue #5 is live right now! So you can right hop in and help one of Solomon Island's denizens avoid meeting her end with bad hair and find out what really happened to Tyler Freeborn.

Along with the usual assortment of new missions and investigations, this update adds a third auxiliary weapon (the quantum bracers), allows players to assign inventory items to hotkeys, opens a new nightclub in London, and makes all investigation missions repeatable. Want to see what's in store come Friday when the End of Days special event starts? Get a glimpse of the Harbingers themselves in the Issue #5 preview video after the cut. Continue Reading